Cleaning utensils are constantly becoming more numerous and varied over time in performing more specialized functions leading to a plethora of these handheld utensils being randomly placed throughout the kitchen countertop area adding to clutter and potentially a soap scum and water/grease stains on the countertop requiring cleaning. As a more modern development in particular related to scrubbers for dishes, glasses, and cooking utensils, is a self contained scrubbing brush and scouring pad, wherein a reservoir is disposed within an integral handle that contains a dishwashing liquid, thus eliminating the need for the separate application of dishwashing liquid, resulting in faster, easier, and more convenient dish, glass, and cooking utensil washing as the dishwashing liquid automatically dispenses to the sponge/brush/pad.
However, this self contained scrubbing brush and scouring pad again is usually placed upon the countertop, or in the sink, or adjacent to the sink edge and with this self contained scrubbing brush and scouring pad not having any sophisticated valves or shutoffs to prevent the seepage or wicking of the dishwashing fluid from the scrub brush or scouring pad portion thereby resulting in a gooey mess of oozed out dishwashing liquid, that also typically semi solidifies into almost a paste type substance when exposed to the atmosphere. Thus leaving a sticky gooey mess to clean up from the surface that is adjacent to the scrub brush or scouring pad, not to mention the waste of dishwashing liquid.
Wherein an ideal solution to this problem would be to support the scrub brush or scouring pad portion above the reservoir to help prevent the seepage or wicking of the dishwashing fluid from the scrub brush or scouring pad portion, and to have or provide flow channels for the dishwashing liquid seepage that does occur being the residual dishwashing liquid from the scrub brush or scouring pad portion to drain to a specific location to make clean up on the seeped dishwashing liquid easier.
Looking at the prior art, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,604 to Stillman, disclosed is a tray for supporting a cleaning utensil that has a holder for supporting a cleaning utensil that includes a support platform that is designed to support and retain a portion of a cleaning utensil, the holder also has a drainage conductor near a front edge of the support platform. In Stillman, the portion of the cleaning utensil is retained via a continuous retention ridge protrusion adjacent to a drainage channel, wherein a suction cup is for attaching the holder to a countertop or sink lip.
Continuing in the prior art, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,200 to Stillman which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,604 also to Stillman, the '200 patent discloses a holder for supporting a cleaning utensil that includes a support platform that is designed to support and retain a portion of a cleaning utensil, the holder also has a drainage conductor near a front edge of the support platform. In Stillman, the portion of the cleaning utensil is retained via a continuous retention ridge protrusion adjacent to a drainage channel, wherein a suction cup is optional for attaching the holder to a countertop or sink lip.
Further in the prior art, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,382 to Hull et al., disclosed is a combination lotion applicator and support stand, wherein the desire is to have the sponge portion slightly lower than the lotion reservoir that is disposed within the handle with the goal being to keep the sponge wetted with the lotion, which the support stand facilitates, see FIGS. 1 and 2. Also in Hull, the lotion applicator and stand are a matched set sold in combination, noting that a cover 20 is always used in conjunction with the sponge, thus to preclude external seepage of the lotion from the sponge due to the handle causing the lotion to gravity flow into the sponge.
Also, in the prior art, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,955 to Studer et al., disclosed is a paintbrush caddy that clips upon the edge of a paint tray while providing an inclined drainage platform for the paintbrush to reside against, thus allowing residual paint to drip back into the tray while retaining the brush via drain apertures 66, see FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Studer also uses a spring loaded clamping means that is utilized to provide a removably engagable attachment to the tray edge while keeping the drainage platform at an angle to accommodate the paint drainage back into the tray.
Continuing, in the prior art, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,580 to Hawkins disclosed is a bracket that straddles the upper edges of an open paint can to form a bridge across the open paint can top that facilitates a clip type hanger disposed at a mid point in the bracket to suspend a paintbrush over the open can of paint such that brush paint drips fall back into the can, see FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. In Hawkins, the bracket can also be used to secure the paint can lid closed as shown in FIG. 6.
What is needed is a low cost, compact, and easy to install article support device that supports an article in the form of a cleaning utensil with a self contained cleaning sponge/scouring pad with a dishwashing detergent dispensing reservoir, wherein the article is supported in an upright manner to minimize seepage of the dishwashing detergent from the sponge/pad resulting in waste of the dishwashing detergent and the resultant gooey mess of seeped dishwashing detergent, and if seepage does occur, it is directed to an appropriate area.